Old Hob
History (Submitted by TurtleGurl84) Old Hob: 1998 - 2009 According to Hob himself, he was once the pet cat of a young boy, until the boy's mother threw the cat out in the the street to punish her son. Hob wandered on the streets of Star City for months until he came to reside near STAR Labs where he lived off table scraps and the remains of dead lab mice and rats. I remember encountering this crotchety cat several times in my youth. My father and Dr. Stockman had made several attempts to capture the cat, but all attempts failed. After a while, they started calling the cat Hob and eventually "Old Hob" when he outlasted all the other alleycats which the employees STAR Labs had become familiar with. Old Hob: 2009 - 2013 On the night of the fire that would claim the old STAR Labs building, Hob arrived in his usual alley to bask in the warmth. While he watched the inferno rage, he noticed a humanoid rodent and four reptilian toddlers in his alley. One of the youth approached Old Hob and tried to pet him. Hob was alarmed and slashed at the turtle's face. The reptile began to cry and Old Hob pounced on him, clawing at him mercilessly. The large rat ran in and pulled Hob off. When Hob bit the rat in response, the rat used his own claws to gouge out Hob's right eye before tossing him into a nearby wall. Realizing he was pushing his luck, Hob fled. Once safe, he began to lick his wounds and noticed the unusual taste of the reptile blood and some residue on the rat's fur. Over the course of the next few days, Hob's body underwent drastic changes. He began to walk upright, he grew rapidly, and found himself capable of speaking the language of humans. He kept to the shadows for the next four years, only presenting himself to those humans he would victimize for goods or services or other ne'er-do-wells he could work with to achieve his goals. Hob's only focus at this time was survival. He wanted food, shelter, and the occasional luxury to ease his lonely existence. Old Hob: 2013 - Present Though Hob would explore Star City in its entirety, he would always seem to eventually come back to Elgin, where he felt most at home. Due to their shared turf, Hob teamed up with the Purple Dragons during the infernal invasion and when the demons left, Hob stuck around, working with the Dragons on some of their jobs. When Hob overheard some of the Dragons talking about the 'kappa' which had began foiling some of their plans, Hob asked for a detailed description. Hob knew immediately that these were no demons, but ghosts from his own past. When he agreed to help hunt these 'kappa' for the Dragons' leader, Hun, Hob became a trusted lieutenant of the Purple Dragons. Hob's strategies elevated the Purple Dragons from two-bit thugs into a proper criminal enterprise that dominated the Elgin area of Star City, which proved them capable of allying with the Foot Clan; an alliance Hob helped negotiate. Upon hearing of Hob's past connection to the turtles who knew the secrets of the Foot Clan, Oroku Karai tasked Hob with finding more of this mysterious substance that caused their change. Hob said he already picked through the wreckage long ago and soon brought Karai several canisters of mutagen he had been hoarding for years. Supplemental Report * (Submitted by TurtleGurl84) Master Splinter tends to perceive things through the lens of Japanese mythology, particularly about his and the Turtles' supposed reincarnation. Splinter calls Hob "bakeneko" or "nekomata" which are both references to cat-like yokai from Japanese mythology. He tends to use "Bakeneko" when Hob is not around, but uses "Nekomata" when addressing Hob directly.Network Files: Old Hob Threat Assessment Resources * Mutant Cat Physiology: Old Hob is a bipedal cat of humanoid size and stature. ** Claws: Old Hob has retractable razor-sharp claws of keratin. Much like how it affected the durability of his rival turtles shells' Hob's mutation has reinforced the strength of his claws. He can shred through kevlar with a focused strike or repeated slashes. ** Climbing: Old Hob is able to scale and otherwise move effortlessly and smoothly on angled and vertical surfaces such as branches, rocks, walls, and the like. He only some purchase and to retain his balance. ** Enhanced Agility: Old Hob easily shifts from one motion to another, deftly evades attacks, and always seems to land on his feet. ** Enhanced Balance: Hob has a heightened sense of balance. He can be nearly impossible tto knock down and can usually recover from such instantly. He's able to traverse narrow and unstable surfaces with ease. ** Enhanced Resiliency: Old Hob may not have the mythical nine lives of a cat, but he's incredibly resilient and has survived several encounters where he was dismissed as having been killed, only to survive. ** Enhanced Senses: Hob's remaining eye is incredibly sharp, retaining remarkable night vision. Hob's ears are also possessed of an impressive degree of hearing. Hob's sense of smells is approximately ten times sharper than the average human. Put all that together and that means Hob is not an easy one to ambush, even for ninjas. Hob also has some capacity to perceive the supernatural, but either due to his realist/skeptic nature or his injury, this awareness seems to fluctuate. ** Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Old Hob is able to move at great speed and has reactions that allow him to dodge projectiles such as alien blasts and bullets. Old Hob's running speed is faster than the turtles, though his reflexes aren't quite as refined as theirs. ** Enhanced Strength: Like many mutants, Old Hob's mutagenic body is deceptively powerful. Not only is he able to deliver powerful blows, but he is able to throw people over his head. Old Hob's max lifting capacity is said to be between 400 to 500 lbs (181 to 226 kg). ** Predatory Instinct: Old Hob possesses predatory instincts, making him a natural master of hunting and tracking. As such, Hob can discern numerous tactical factors of any given situation. This ability has shaped Hob into a master strategist. * Street Tramp Training: Through years of living on the street, even before his mutation, Hob is quite well-versed in techniques associated with this lifestyle. ** Area Familiarity: Old Hob claims to know Star City like the back of his hand/paw. His claims to date seem to hold merit. ** Brawling: Old Hob is a tough kitty. He knows how to take a punch and can give one back even better. Though he prefers to use his claws or teeth, he is quite skilled in fisticuffs and improvised weapons. ** Firearms: Old Hob knows how to use guns. He's not a sharpshooter by any means, but he is still quite deadly, especially with his Utrom rifle. ** Lockpicking: Hob has learned to use his claws to pick locks. Weaknesses * Trust Issues: Old Hob is distrustful of most (especially humans) and while this lack of trust has helped him survive at times, it can just as easily be exploited. Analytics * Physicality: 4 - Expert / Enhanced * Occult: 1 - Paltry / Below-Average * Weapons: 4 - Expert / Enhanced * Experience: 4 - Expert / Enhanced * Ranged: 5 - Master / Remarkable * Strategy: 6 - World-Class / Superb Trivia and Notes Trivia * He mutated Pigeon Pete after witnessing how it's done to Tokka and Rahzar. The result taught him there's more to mutation than he thought.Network Files: Pigeon Pete * When Irma Langinstein infiltrated TCRI he chloroformed her and took her to the Mutanimals lair in the Avalon Heights Veterinary Hospital. He promised to provide her with evidence of an alien threat in exchange for helping her with science.Network Files: Irma Langinstein 1 * Hob has a Threat Assessment ranking of 71, marking him as a High Threat. Notes * Old Hob is a character from the IDW TMNT comics Links and References * Appearances of Old Hob * Character Gallery: Old Hob Category:Characters Category:Animal Category:One Eye Category:Mighty Mutanimals Members Category:Male Characters Category:Brown Hair Category:Gold Eyes Category:Pointed Ears Category:Claws Category:Enhanced Senses Category:Superhuman Speed Category:Marksmanship Category:Lockpicking Category:Star Citian Category:Submitted by TurtleGurl84 Category:Purple Dragons Members Category:Foot Clan Members Category:Enhanced Durability Category:Non-DC Characters Category:Unique Physiology Category:Fur Category:Cats Category:Mutanimal Category:Enhanced Agility Category:27th Reality Category:High Threat